Automatic cut-off roll



June 8, 1965 A. COOPER 3,188,268

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF ROLL Filed April 17, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I l n n k 'i I I g 1 9 ii F 1 1 I s 0 l .ze g, j I 'b ll g El m E 6,: 8 n W l I -g 9 8 INVENTOR! ARTHUR COOPER K ATTORNEYS June 8, 1965 A. COOPER 3,188,258

-AU TOMATIC CUT-OFF ROLL Filed April 17, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 V w 0L3; m a.: 3 \s FIG. 5

/N VENTOR' ARTHUR COOPER Hane (MM & akin! AUDR/VEYS June 8, 1965 A. QPER 3,188,268

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF ROLL Filed April 17, 1964' v 4 Sheets-Sheet ,3

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ARTHUR COOPER ATTURNEE June 8, 1965 Filed April 17, 1964 A. COOPER AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF ROLL 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 //vv/vr0/?.-

ARTHUR COOPER B United States Patent Office 3,188,263 Patented June 8, 1965 This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 187,161, filed April 11, 1962, now Patent No. 3,136,684.

This invention relates generally to a Wet board machine in which several layers of wetted pulp fibers are accumulated on a roll to a predetermined thickness and subsequently severed from the roll to form heavy, multi-layered fiberboard or the like. In particular, the invention pertains to a new and improved automatic cut-off roll construction for severing the accumulated layers of pulp material.

Previously, in the board making industry automatic cutoff rolls have been known on which pulp layers are accumulated and are thereafter severed by means of an internally mounted knife blade which is driven through a slot in the surface of the roll. One such automatic cut-01f roll is described in US. Patent No. 2,396,104.

However, increasing demand for faster production of a more uniform product having a wider board size has required the development of an automatic cut-off roll capable of fulfilling these requirements.

Also, demand for a small diameter cut-off roll for use in laboratories has required the development of a roll having an internally mounted knife actuating mechanism in which the pneumatic means for driving the actuating mechanism is miniaturized or self-contained within the mechanism.

In previous roll constructions having an internally mounted knife blade and knife blade actuating mechanism, it was necessary to remove the roll from the wet board machine before the knife blade could be disengaged for resharpening or replacement. Repair work on the knife actuating mechanism had to be done within the confines of the roll, or the actuating mechanism had to be disassembled and removed piece by piece from the roll.

This invention provides a make roll construction having the capability of operating at high speed to produce board products of greatly increased width. The board produced is severed, after attaining the desired thickness, with the aid of improved pneumatic and electrical means.

Also, this invention provides a roll construction in which the knife blade can be removed from the roll without re-' moving the roll from the wet board machine. The knife blade actuating mechanism can be quickly and easily removed from within the roll for repair without the need for piece by piece disassembly.

This invention additionally provides a small diameter or baby make roll in which the pneumatic driving means is constructed integral with the knife actuating mechanism thereby eliminating the pneumatic piping within the roll to a large extent.

Broadly speaking, the preferred embodiment of the make roll construction incorporates several novel features. An improved pneumatic means for operating the knife actuating mechanism is provided with an independent, constant pressure, compressed air supply. An improved electrical means for actuating the valves of the pneumatic means is associated with a cam arrangement mounted on the roll journals. Improved fastening means is employed to couple the knife blade to the knife actuating mechanism.

In the alternate embodiment, a small diameter make roll designed for laboratory use is constructed with a modified knife actuating mechanism having a cylinder assembly in which the pneumatic piping is formed integrally. Furthermore, the knife actuating mechanism can be removed in one piece from one end of the roll after removal of the knife and a roll end.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved cut oif roll construction, having an internally mounted knife blade and knife actuating mechanism, on which wide sheets of board are rapidly produced.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a roll construction having improved pneumatic means for driving an internally mounted knife blade, which means includes an independent constant pressure supply of compressed air which is directed in equal quantities simultaneously to each of the cylinders of the knife actuating mechanism.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a roll construction having improved electrical means for controlling the pneumatic means which drives the knife actuating mechanism.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a roll construction wherein the knife blade is removably fastened to the knife actuating mechanism by novel fastening means located adjacent the roll ends to facilitate removal of the knife blade without the need for removing the roll from the wet board machine.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a roll construction having guide means by which the entire knife actuating mechanism can be quickly and easily removed from one end of the roll as an integral unit.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a small diameter roll construction having a knife actuating mechanism constructed with the pneumatic piping formed integral with the cylinder assembly.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which is illustrated and described a preferred and an alternate embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a View in section of the preferred embodiment of the make roll illustrating the internal components;

FIG. 2 is a view in section of the make roll of FIG. 1 illustrating the knife actuating mechanism partially removed through one end of the roll;

FIG. 3 is a view in section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a View in section of the alternate embodiment of the make roll having a modified knife actuating mechanism construction;

FIG. 5 is a view in section taken on line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the make roll illustrating the cam placement on the roll journals and schematic wiring to a control panel;

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the pneumatic system including piping and valves by means of which the knife actuating mechanism and the blow-off apparatus are operated; 7

FIG. 8 is a detailed view in section of the fastening means by which the knife blade is coupled to the knife actuating mechanism; and

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the aligned cylinders and the arrangement of the pneumatic piping Within the make roll.

Generally speaking, sheets of wet board, such as fiberboard, are produced on wet board machines. This ma chine is fed stock, which is prepared in conventional pulpers, heaters and jordans, forms it into a continuous sheet which is transferred to a revolving make-up roll to which the sheet adheres and builds up. The sheet is cut away from the make-up roll after the predetermined number of plies has been accumulated. Saws then trim the board to the desired length and width. The board sheets are then dried, remoistened, and finally calendered. This invention concerns only the automatic cut-off roll operation of the wet board machine.

FIG.'1 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the make roll, generally designated as 19. The roll construction comprises a cylindrical drum 12, which forms the roll surface, and roll ends 14 which are removably fastened to the drum 12 by means of a multiplicity of fasteners 16. It is usual for hand holes to be formed in the roll ends 14 to provide access to internal mechanical components located adjacent the roll ends. Journals 13 are preferably formed integral with the roll ends 14, as shown in FIG. 1, or may alternatively be bolted to roll ends 14.

Make roll may be conventionally driven by means of friction against the moving felt on which the sheet stock is carried. A bottom press roll (not shown) which is driven by a variable speed electric motor movably supports the felt.

Looking now at the interior of cylindrical drum 12, it will be seen that a longitudinal slot 20 is formed through the surface "of the cylin'drical'drum 12 extending the entire length of the drum surface. Positioned within slot20 is knife blade 22 which is dimensioned to reciprocate freely within the slot. Knife blade 22 is preferably made of stainless steel and is driven and retracted by means mounted within the roll to automatically cut off the plies of sheet which have accumulated on make roll it To actuate the knife blade 22, a pneumatic knife actuating mechanism is provided and internally mounted within cylindrical drum 12. This knife actuating mechanism is mounted, in the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, on raised guide means which simplifies the removal of the mechanism from within cylindrical drum 12 for repair. More particularly, a plurality of upwardly (as one looks at FIGS. 13) extending support members 24 is bolted to the inner surface 25 of cylindrical drum 12 in alignment parallel to the roll axis. A longitudinally extending guide rail 26 is fixed to the upper ends of support members 24 and provides a smooth unbroken guiding surface within the cylindrical drum 12. A'plurality of flange members 28 are fixed to either side of guide rail 26. These flange members are vertically disposed in facing pairs which are longitudinally spaced'apart. The flange members have facing horizontal lips 30 at their upper portions which are spaced above the guide rail surface. The flange members 36 thereby form a hollow open-topped guideway along the upper surface of guide rail 26.

A base plate 32, being dimensioned to fit within the guideway atop the surface of guide rail 26, is longitudinally disposed and has a length approximately equal to that of guide rail 26. Base plate 32 is removably fastened to guide rail 26 by fasteners 34 located adjacent roll ends 14. The fasteners 34 are accessible through the hand holes formed in the roll ends 14. It will be appreciated that after the removal of fasteners 34, base plate 32 is longitudinally slidable along guide rail 26 and is prevented from lateral displacement by flange members 28. A plurality of upwardly extending pneumatic cylinders 36 are mounted upon base plate 32 in spaced and aligned relation. Each cylinder is of the double acting type and has a vertically movable piston (not shown) fitted therein. A piston rod 38 is attached to the piston and extends upwardly through the cylinder head 40.

A feature of this invention is the securing arrangement by which the knife is fixed to the piston rod. A clevis 42 is mountedon the upper free end of each piston rod 33, preferably by threadable engagement therewith together with a lock pin 44 inserted horizontally through the clevis and the piston rod. A longitudinally extending knife blade holder 46, having a generally L-shaped cross-section, is laterally confined by the plurality of clevises 42 and rests upon the upper ends of piston rods 38. A retaining bolt 48 is horizontally inserted through each clevis i 42 to lock knife blade holder 46 thereto. Lock nuts 5%) are threadably secured to retaining bolts 43.

Looking now at FIGS. 3 and 8, the arrangement by which'the knife blade 22 is secured to the knife blade holder 46 will be described in detail. The knife blade holder 46 and the knife blade 22 each extend longitudinally within cylindrical drum 12. The knife rests upon the shoulder 52 of the knife holder. A locking stud 54, threaded at each end, is formed with a tapered shoulder 56 intermediate its ends. This tapered shoulder 56 has a cross-sectional shape which increases the stud periphery over an arc of less than 180. It will be seen in FIG. 8 that as each locking stud 54- is inserted through the slot 59 in the knife blade 22 and the corresponding slot 58 in knife blade holder 46, shoulder 56 of stud 54 bears against surface 60 of knife blade holder 46, which surface forms a portion of the slot 58 therein. As shoulder 56 bears against surface 60, the portion of the stud located 180 from the shoulder 56 is forced downwardly against surface 62 of knife blade 22, which surface forms a portion of slot 59. To securely maintain knife blade 2 against the upstanding wall 64 of-knife blade holder 46, several additional components are axially carried on locking stud 54. An L-shaped backing plate 66 longitudinally extends within cylindrical drum 12 and has apertures therein located so that the backing plate can be placed over locking studs 54 against knife blade 22. At the location of each locking stud aperture in the backing plate 66, a bored housing 68 is fixed to the backing plate, as for example by welding. Washers 70 and locking nuts 72 are applied over each threaded end of the locking stud 54 and are tightened up while the stud itself is maintained stationary whereby the backing plate 66 holds knife blade 22 firmly against knife blade holder 46. It will be appreciated that the knife blade is maintained against shoulder 52 by locking stud 54 and against upstanding wall 64 by backing plate 66.

It is very important to note that knife blade 22 may be securely fastened tothe knife actuating mechanism by as few as two locking studs 54 inserted through slots located adjacent the hand holes in the roll ends 14. For extremely large knife blades, two locking studs 54 may be employed adjacent each roll end 14 as shown in FIG. 1. It is a simple matter to back off the locking nuts 72 at each end of the knife blade holder 46 to release the knife blade 22 therefrom after which the knife blade may be manually removed through slot 24 of cylindrical drum 12 for'purposes of resharpening or replacement. This eliminates the need to unbolt the knife blade from each of the piston rods 38 of the knife blade actuating mechamsm.

FIGS. 1 and 7 best illustrate the pneumatic means by which the knife actuating mechanism is powered to drive knife blade 22 through slot 20 to cut off the layers of pulp board that have accumulated on the make roll. The pneumatic means also powers the blow-off apparatus which directs a jet of air beneath the just cut off board sheet to aid in the removal of the severed board from the roll. The plurality of double acting cylinders 36 is serviced by two separate pneumatic piping systems. Each cylinder 36 is connected to air manifold 74 at its cylinder head and is connected to air manifold 76 at its cylinder base. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 9, the two air manifolds 74 and 76 are spaced one above the other in superposition. It is very important to note that each air manifold has a T fitting 78, 89 which is positioned precisely at the midpoint of the air manifold. A connecting line 82 connects T fitting 78 to a rotatable joint 83 located in journal 18 and a connecting line 84 connects T fitting St) to a rotatable joint 85 located in the other journal 18. Each connecting line leads from the journals of make roll 10 to a common supply line 86, which in turn leads to an air reservoir 83, through an air regulator and to an air compressor (not shown).

Likewise leading from supply line 86 is a connecting line 92 which carries air to a blow-01f slot 94. Blow-ofi slot 94 is preferably located adjacent the surface of cylindrical drum 12 in position to apply a stream of air tangential to the surface of the cylindrical roll 12 immediately after the board has been cut by knife blade 22 thereby assisting in stripping the severed board from the roll surface.

Each connectin line, 82, 84 and 92 contains a three- Way solenoid actuated valve 96, 98 and 1%. Each solenoid valve has three connected passages therein and two valve positions. The first or exhaust position closes the compressor side of the connecting line and exhausts the make roll or blow-off side of the connecting line to the outside atmosphere. The second or intake position of the valve closes the exhaust passage and allows the compressed air to flow from air reservoir 83 to the make roll or to the blow-off apparatus 94. Solenoid valves 96, 98 and 160 are electrically operated by means to be described subsequently.

It will be understood that knife blade 22, which is fastened to piston rods 33 by means of the above-described knife holder 46 and its associated parts, is driven through slot 29 by actuation of the pistons within cylinders 36. The piston-cylinder assemblies are of the double acting typev That is, an air line is connected to each cylinder at the cylinder head and at the cylinder base whereby the piston is reciprocated within the cylinder by means of alternately forcing air into the cylinder at the head end and exhausting air at the base end and then reversing the process to force air into the base end and exhausting air from the head end.

A feature of this invention is the cycling of the valve operation whereby the air from the head end of the cylinder is released a short time before the air is forced into the base end of the cylinder so that there is no pneumatic resistance to the upward movement of the piston when the cut-off operation is performed. This pre-exhausting through air manifold 74 and connecting line 82 considerably speeds up the knife action thereby facilitating the production of heavier board on the make roll.

The function of air reservoir 88, which may, for example, take the form of a 60 gallon air accumulator tank, is to provide a large reservoir of pressurized air maintained at a steady pressure despite line pressure drops due to the action of the knife actuating mechanism and the blow-off apparatus. The air in the reservoir 88 is maintained at a constant pressure by a pressure regulator 91 which is connected to an air compressor. The air reservoir 88 ensures that an independent air supply is instantly available to the knife actuating mechanism and cannot be diverted which might interfere with proper timing of the knife cycle. By employing this arrangement of components to maintain the air pressure during the knife cycle, variations in the air pressure are virtually eliminated. The compressor builds up the pressure in the air reservoir 88 which is maintained at the desired level by the air regulator 99.

Another feature of the invention is the location of the T fittings 78 and 8t precisely at the longitudinal midpoints of the air manifolds 74 and 76. By this arrangement, the air which alternately flows from air reservoir 88 through the connecting lines 82 and 84 into air manifolds 74 and 76 is distributed simultaneously and in equal quantities to each of the cylinders 36. This is very important because otherwise maximum power would not be generated by each of the cooperating pistons. If insufficient power were generated, knife blade 22 would not be driven through slot 20 with the force necessary to cleanly cut off heavy board accumulation. Another undesirable result which would occur because of uneven power generation in each cylinder is that the knife blade 22 would not operate smoothly because the unequal piston forces would cause knife misalignment during its travel through the slot.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of the control panel 102 used to operate the automatic cut-off feature of make roll 10. It will be seen that the roll journals 18 of make roll 10 have mounted thereon a plurality of cam contactors 104, 106, 108, and 112. As journals 18 revolve, the cam contactors are sequentially brought into electrical Wiping contact with cam followers 114, 116, 118, and 122, which may be spring loaded. It will be noted that cam N6 is shaped to remain in contact with cam follower 116 for a longer duration than do the other cams. The cam followers are electrically connected to terminals on control panel 102.

Cam follower 1'14 is electrically connected to a roll revolution counter 124 which is advanced a step each time cam 104 contacts follower 114. A selector knob 126 can be operated to set the revolution counter 124 to the number of plies of wet board which are desired to be accumulated on make roll 10 before the board is cut by knife blade 22. Cam follower 116 is electrically connected to a relay 128 which in turn is electrically con nected to solenoid operated valve 96 which controls the retract operation of the knife blade. Cam follower 118 is electrically connected to relay 130 which in turn is electrically connected to solenoid operated valve 98 which controls the cut-off operation of the knife blade. Cam follower 120 is electrically connected to relay 132 which in turn is electrically connected to solenoid operated valve 109 which controls the blow-off operation of the blow-off slot 94. Cam follower 122 is electrically connected to relay 134 which in turn is electnically connected to a switch (not shown) which resets revolution counter 124 to recycle the automatic .cut-ofi operation.

The operation of the preferred embodiment of this invention, which is shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 6-9, will now be described in detail. For purposes of resharpening or replacing knife blade 22, one feature of this invention allows knife blade 22 to be removed from the knife actuating mechanism by the simple expedient of reaching through the hand holes of each roll end 14 and unfastening the locking nuts 72 which are located adjacent the hand holes. After removal of the locking studs 54, the knife blade 22 can be simply and easily removed through slot 20 while the make roll 10 remains in place on the wet board machine. The knife blade can be removed in this manner regardless of the length of the knife.

If repairs are required to the knife actuating mechanism, it is a feature of this invention that the entire knife actuating mechanism can be removed from the roll in a single unit. After the make roll has been removed from the wet board machine, one roll end 14 can be removed from drum 12 by disengaging fasteners 16. Fastening bolts 34, one at each end of guide rail 26, can be removed (one through the hand hole and the other through the open roll end) and, after knife blade 22 has been removed and the two connecting lines 82 and 84 uncoupled, the entire knife actuating mechanism can he slid along guide rail 26 out of the cylindrical drum 12 as shown in FIG. 2. This feature is not only a great advantage for repair work, but simplifies the original assembly of this unit.

As the make roll revolves, considerable centrifugal force acts to thrust knife blade 22 out of its slot 20 into the cut-off position. Therefore, the non-operative position of solenoid operated valve 96 is the second or intake position in which compressed air is allowed to flow from the compressor-through the air regulator 90, the :air reservoir 83, the connecting line 82, the air manifold 74 and into the cylinder head portion of each cylinder 36 cansing the knife blade 22 to be retracted beneath the surface portion of cylindrical drum 12. The non-operative posi- .tion of solenoid valve 98 is the first or exhaust position in which the compressed air in supply line 86 is closed oif at the valve and the cylinder base portion is exhausted through connecting line 84 to the atmosphere at the solenoid valve location. Solenoid operated valve 100 likewise has for its non-operative position the first or exhaust 7 position in which the compressed air in supply line 86 is closed off at the valve and the blow-off slot 94 is exhausted through connecting line 92 to the atmosphere at the solenoid valve location.

As the make roll revolves, carrying the cam contactors on its journals, cam 164 advances revolution counter 124 each time it contacts follower 114. When the preset number of plies have been. built up on make roll 19, the revolution counter throws switches to energize the solenoid circuits of relays 123, 130, 132, and 134. The next cam contactor to sequentially make contact with its cam follower is cam 1% which upon striking follower 116 causes solenoid valve 96 to be operated. This valve is normally in the second or intake position. Activation of the solenoid causes the valve to move to the first or exhaust position releasing the air in the cylinder head side of the pistons tothe atmosphere through connecting line 82. This frees the knife blade 22 which then, due to centrifugal vforce, tends to move radially. Cam contactor 186 is of sufiicient peripheral length to remain in contact with cam follower 116 during the period of the next two sequential cam contacts. Cam 108 next contacts follower 118 which activates solenoid valve 98 to the second or intake position to allow the compressed air to drive the pistons upwardly to operate knife blade 22 to cut oif the plies of board which have accumulated on the make roll. As cam 103 disengages from cam follower 11S, solenoid valve 93 is returned to the first or exhaust position exhausting the compressed air from within the base end of the cylinders. The knife blade still remains in the cut-off position since solenoid valve remains in the exhaust position due to the continued engagement between cam 106 and cam follower 1:16. The next cam to make contact is cam 110 which contacts cam follower 120 causing solenoid valve 100 to move to the second or intake position to pass the compressed air through connecting line 92 to blow-off slot 94 which helps lift the cut olf board from the surface of make roll 10. After cam 110 has become disengaged from cam follower 120, solenoid valve 105) is returned to the first or exhaust position closing ofl the air flow from supply line 86. Cam 106 then becomes disengaged from cam follower 116 thereby returning solenoid valve 96 to its second or intake position, which is its non-operative position, thereby allowing air to "flow through connecting line 32 to retract knife blade 22. The last cam to make sequential contact is cam 112 which engages follower 122 to cause the revolution counter 124 to Ibe recycled and to cause the solenoid valve circuits to be de-energized until they are re-energized by the revolution counter 124 after it has attained its preset roll revolution limit.

It will now be understood that solenoid operated valves 93 and 100 remain in the exhaust position at all times except when their cams are in contract with their cam followers during the cut-off revolution. Solenoid operated valve 96, however, remains in the intake position at all times until being moved to the exhaust position by the contact between cam 106 and cam follower 116 during the cut-off revolution.

This'knife actuation rocess runs in a continuous cycle in which immediately after the wet board has'been cut, new plies of wet board begin to accumulate on the make roll.

An alternate embodiment of make roll is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. This make roll is designedto be used in a laboratory or the like and has a relatively small roll diameter. This small diameter leaves virtually no internal space in which to run the pneumatic piping for the knife actuating mechanism. To overcome this problem, a

modified knife actuating mechanism construction is employed in which the individual cylinders 36 of the preferred embodiment are replaced by a plurality of cylinders 135 having a common cylinder head 138 and a common cylinder base 146. The one-piece longitudinally extending cylinder head 138 is secured to the one-piece D 0 cylinder base 14th by means of a plurality of elongated retaining bolts 14-2. Gaskets (not shown) complete the seal between the cylinders 136 and the cylinder head and cylinder base.

Each cylinder contains a piston 1 5-4 having a piston rod 145 extending upwardly through cylinder head 138. The piston rods 146 carry at their upper ends the same or a similar type of knife blade holding means as was employed in the preferred embodiment. In FIGS. 45, each piston rod 146 is threadably secured to a clevis 42 which is fixed in place by means of a lock pin 44. Knife blade holder 45 is held in position by the bifurcated free ends of the clevises 42 which exert lateral pressure on the knife blade holder by means of a plurality of retaining bolts 48 and lock nuts 5d. The knife blade 22 is seated in knife blade holder 46 and fixed thereto by the cooperation of backing plate 66, bored housing 6%, locking studs 54 and locking nuts 72.

A longitudinally extending manifold 148 is formed within cylinder head 13% and has a plurality of downwardly extending ports 159 opening into the interior of each cylinder. Manifold 148 is joined to a connecting line 152 which is connected to a rotatable joint (not shown) located in the journal.

A similar longitudinally extending manifold 154 is formed within cylinder base 144 and has a plurality of upwardly extending ports 156 which open into the interior of the cylinders 136. Manifold 3154 leads to connecting lines 158 and res and then to a rotatable joint (not shown) located in the journal.

The operation of knife blade 22 in the alternate embodiment of FIGS. 45 is exactly the same as in the operation of the knife blade in the preferred embodiment. Only the location of the pneumatic piping differs. The manifold 148 in cylinder head 138 carries the compressed air to the cylinder for retracting the knife blade and from the cylinder for releasing the retract pressure prior to the cut-off actuation. The manifold 154 in cylinder base 149 carries the compressed air to the cylinder for actuating the knife blade 22 to cut off the accumulated plies of wet board. In all other respects the electrical and pneumatic functioning of the alternate embodiment of the make roll is identical to that of the preferred embodiment.

It will be noted that, as in the preferred embodiment, knife blade 22 can be removed from the make roll of FIGS. 4-5 without the necessity for removing the make roll from the wet board machine. That is, an operator can reach through the hand holes formed in the roll ends 14 of drum 12 and disengage the locking nuts 72 from the locking studs 54. The locking studs 54 are located adjacent the hand holes. This unbolting action frees knife blade 22 from knife holder 46 thereby allowing it to be removed through slot 20 in cylindrical drum 12.

A further feature of the alternate embodiment shown in FIGS. 45 is the means by which the knife actuating mechanism can be removed from the cylindrical drum for purposes of repair. It will be seen in FIG. 5 that the lower surface 162 of cylinder base is curved to match the curvature of the interior surface 164 of cylindrical drum 12. Mounting bolts 166 pass through apertures in the cylinder base 140 and are threadably secured to cylindrical drum 12 at locations adjacent the hand holes in the roll ends 14. It will now be seen that after disengagement of fasteners 16 from one end of the roll, and removal of one roll end 14, and removal of knife blade 22, the entire knife actuating mechanism, including its cylinder base 14%, can be slid out of the cylindrical drum 12 as a unit easily and quickly by simply unfastening mounting bolts 166. This feature is of great importance because the small diameter of the roll makes it extremely diflicult for a man to work on parts fixed within the interior of the roll.

This invention has been herein illustrated and described as a preferred embodiment and an alternate embodiment. Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details of the construction and ararngements of parts specifically described or illustrated but is to be limited only by the spirit of the invention and the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a wet board machine make roll of the type having a frame mounted journalled hollow drum with a longitudinally extending slot therein, a knife positioned within said drum in alignment with said slot, and a knife actuating mechanism internally mounted within said drum and arranged to drive said knife through said slot to cut off layers of material accumulated on said make roll, the improvement therein comprising; said knife actuating mechanism including a cylinder assembly having a plurality of aligned hollow cylinders; a piston positioned in each said cylinder for reciprocal movement therein, a piston rod connected to each said piston and extending from the head of said cylinder; a common cylinder head sealing the head ends of the plurality of cylinders, said cylinder head having apertures through which said piston rods reciprocate; a common cylinder base sealing the base ends of the plurality of cylinders; and Walls forming a longitudinal manifold in said cylinder head and walls forming a longitudinal manifold in said cylinder base, each said manifold having ports opening into each of said cylinders, whereby compressed air for driving the pistons is introduced and exhausted through the internal manifolds.

2. In a wet board machine make roll of the type having a frame mounted journalled hollow drum with a longitudinally extending slot therein, a knife positioned within said drum in alignment with said slot, and pneumatic means for actuating said knife, said pneumatic actuating means having components thereof internally mounted within said drum and arranged to drive said knife through said slot to cut off layers of material accumulated on said make roll, the improvement therein comprising; said pneumatic means including a plurality of internally mounted longitudinally aligned cylinders having reciprocating pistons therein; piston rods connected to said pistons and extending through the cylinder heads; means for fastening said knife to said piston rods; a source of compressed air; a branched air line connecting said compressed air source to the head and base of each of said cylinders; an air accumulator positioned in said air line between said compressed air source and said cylinders to provide a large volume compressed air reservoir; an air pressure regulator positioned in said air line between said air accumulator and said compressed air source for maintaining a steady pressure in said air accumulator; and valve means in said air line for selectively admitting and exhausting compressed air to and from cylinders for driving and retracting said knife through said slot. 1

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said valve means comprises two solenoid-actuated three way valves, each of which has an intake operating position in which compressed air flows from the air accumulator to the cylinders, and an exhaust operating position in which air flows fiom the cylinders to the atmosphere.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said solenoidactuated valves are electrically controlled by a plurality of rotating journal-mounted cam contactors, a plurality of corresponding cam followers fixed to the machine frame in position for rotational contact by said cam contactors, said cam followers electrically connected to said solenoidactuated valves and to counting means for recording revolutions of drum rotation.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said two solenoidactuated valves include a first valve in the air line connecting the air accumulator to the cylinder heads and a second valve in the air line connecting the air accumulator to the cylinder bases, said first valve being normally in the intake position in which compressed air flows into the cylinder heads, said second valve being normally in the exhaust position in which the cylinder bases are exhausted through the second valve to the atmosphere, said first and second valves having an electrically energized operating cycle in which said first valve assumes the exhaust position afterwhich said second valve assumes the intake position whereby said knife blade encounters reduced pneumatic resistance to its movement through the slot to cut off the accumulated wet board on the make roll.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 further characterized by each of said plurality of cylinders having an intake-exhaust port at its cylinder head and at its cylinder base; a first air manifold joining said cylinder head ports; a second air manifold joining said cylinder base ports; said air line extending from said air accumulator being branched into first and second air conduits connected respectively to said first and second air manifolds, said conduit-manifold connections located at the longitudinal mid-point of said manifolds whereby the flow of compressed air from the air accumulator to the plurality of cylinders is received equally and simultaneously by each cylinder.

7. In a wet board machine make roll of the type having a frame mounted journalled hollow drum with a longitudinally extending slot therein, removable roll ends with hand holes therein, a knife positioned within said drum in alignment with said slot, and a knife actuating mechanism internally mounted within said drum and arranged to drive said knife through said slot to cut off layers of material accumulated on said make roll, the improvement therein comprising; said knife actuating mechanism including a plurality of internally mounted longitudinally aligned cylinders having reciprocating pistons therein; piston rods connected to said pistons and extending through the cylinder heads; an upstanding clevis member mounted on the free end of each piston rod; a longitudinally extending knife blade holder supportably carried by said clevis members, said knife blade holder having a longitudinally extending vertical wall and an adjacent horizontal shoulder; said knife blade supportably carried by said knife blade holder, the lower edge of said knife blade resting on said horizontal shoulder and one side of said knife blade disposed adjacent said vertical Wall; and means for rigidly fastening said knife blade to said knife blade holder, said fastening means extending through aligned apertures in said knife blade and said knife blade holder, said fastening means being located adjacent said roll end hand holes whereby the knife blade can be uncoupled from the knife blade holder without the need to remove the roll ends by simply reaching through the hand holes to disengage the fastening means.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said fastening means includes at least two locking studs, each said stud having threaded ends and a central body portion on which is formed a tapered shoulder, each said stud positioned through aligned apertures in said knife blade and knife blade holder, each said stud axially carrying washers and locking nuts at each end thereof, said tapered shoulder contacting said knife blade at the upper portion of its aperture-defining wall, said central body portion contacting-said knife blade at the lower portion of its aperturedefining wall whereby tightening of the locking nuts and washers generates a biasing force between each locking stud and its associated knife blade aperture causing the knife blade to be rigidly held against the knife blade holder vertical wall and horizontal shoulder.

9. In a wet board machine make roll of the type having a frame mounted journalled hollow drum with a longitudinally extending slot therein, removable roll ends with hand holes therein, a knife positioned within said drum in alignment with said slot, and a knife actuating mechamenses nism internally mounted within said drum and arranged to drive said knife through said slot to cut off layers of material accumulated on said make roll, the improvement therein comprising: a longitudinal guideway formed on the interior surface of said hollow drum; said knife actuating mechanism including a longitudinal base member having a lower surface shaped to correspond to the contour of said longitudinal guideway, said base member being removably fastened to said guideway by fasteners located adjacent said roll end hand holes whereby after unfastening said knife from said actuating mechanism, after removing one of said roll ends from said drum, and after unfastening said base member from said gu-ideway, said base member and associated knife actuating mechanism are longitudinally slidable out of said drum; said knife actuating mechanism including a cylinder assembly having a plurality of aligned hollow cylinders; a piston positioned in each said cylinder for reciprocal movement therein; a piston rod connected to each said piston and extending from the head of said cylinder; a common cylinder head sealing the head ends of said plurality of cylinders, said cylinder head having apertures through which said piston rods reciprocate; said base member comprising a common cylinder base sealing the base ends of said plurality of cylinders; and walls forming longitudinal manifolds in said cylinder head and said cylinder base, each said manifold having ports opening into each of said cylinders for air intake and exhaust; a source of compressed 'air; a branched air line connecting said compressed air source to said manifolds at the head and base of said cylinders; an air accumulator positioned in said air line between said air source and said cylinders to provide a large volume compressed air reservoir; an air pressure regulator positioned in said air line between said air accumulator and said compressed air source for maintaining a steady pressure in said air accumulator; and valve means in said air line for selectively admitting and exhausting compressed air to and from said cylinders; a clevis member mounted on the free end of each said piston rod; a longitudinally extending knife blade holder supportably carried by said clevis members, said knife blade holder having a longitudinally extending vertical wall and an adjacent vertical shoulder; said knife blade supportably carried by said knife blade holder; and means for rigidly fastening said knife blade to said knife blade holder, said fastening means extending through aligned apertures in said knife blade and said knife blade holder, said fastening means being located adjacent said roll end hand holes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,549,462 8/25 De Wyk 83-191 I 2,396,104 3/46 Kingrnan 162-260 3,136,634 6/64 Cooper 162260 DONALL H. SYLVESTER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A WET BOARD MACHINE MAKE ROLL OF THE TYPE HAVING A FRAME MOUNTED JOURNALLED HOLLOW DRUM WITH A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SLOT THEREIN, A KNIFE POSITIONED WITHIN SAID DRUM IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SLOT, AND A KNIFE ACTUATING MECHANISM INTERNALLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID DRUM AND ARRANGED TO DRIVE SAID KNIFE THROUGH SAID SLOT TO CUT OFF LAYERS OF MATERIAL ACCUMULATED ON SAID MAKE ROLL, THE IMPROVEMENT THEREIN COMPRISING; SAID KNIFE ACTUATING MECHANISM INCLUDING A CYLINDER ASSEMBLY HAVING A PLURALITY OF ALIGNED HOLLOW CYLINDERS; A PISTON POSITIONED IN EACH SAID CYLINDER FOR RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT THEREIN, A PISTON ROD CONNECTED TO EACH SAID PISTON AND EXTENDING FROM THE HEAD OF SAID CYLINDER; A COMMON CYLINDER HEAD SEALING THE HEAD ENDS OF THE PLURALITY OF 